dominant

/ˈdɑmɪnənt/
noun
  1. A person or thing that is most powerful or important.
    • The company became the dominant in the smartphone market.
    • In the pack, the alpha wolf is the dominant.
    • She was the dominant in their partnership, making all major decisions.
  2. In genetics, a dominant trait or allele.
    • The dominant for curly hair is expressed in most offspring.
    • He inherited the dominant for dimples from his father.
    • The dominant in this cross produces yellow seeds.
  3. In music, the fifth note of a diatonic scale or the chord built on it.
    • The piece ends with a resolution from the dominant to the tonic.
    • The dominant is a fifth above the tonic.
    • She played a G major chord as the dominant in the key of C.
adjective
  1. Most powerful, important, or influential.
    • The dominant team won the championship easily.
    • English is the dominant language in international business.
    • Her dominant personality made her a natural leader.
  2. In genetics, describing a trait that appears even when only one copy of the gene is present.
    • Brown eyes are a dominant trait over blue eyes.
    • In pea plants, the allele for tall stems is dominant.
    • The dominant gene for flower color produced red petals.
  3. In music, relating to the fifth note of a scale or the chord built on it.
    • He played a dominant seventh chord in the bridge.
    • The dominant chord creates tension that resolves to the tonic.
    • The piece moves from the tonic to the dominant and back.